Who went on the Brazil '25 study abroad trip?

Thirteen, all aerospace students, went to Brazil in May '25 with instructors Wayne Chang and Laura Gerhold.

Pictured front row left to right are Laura Gerhold, Emily Grzyb, Mary Cunningham, Ariette Kaberlein, Ashley Gacek, Annalise Goodman, Gerard Alpas,  Brazilian guide Alexia, Katherine Ruiz-Villamares and Wayne Chang. 

Back row: Yair Guerrero, David Wuertzer, John Klis, Alex Roskov, Brazilian guide Felipe, Vincent Kim and Hayden Schillinger.

Have you traveled out of the US before?

I have traveled to Ontario, Canada several times to visit family.

What convinced you to sign up for this short study abroad trip?

I always wanted to study abroad, but finding out this program included Rio de Janeiro sold me on this trip. I was very invested in watching the 2016 Olympics, specifically for swimming and beach volleyball, and it became a dream of mine to visit Rio someday.

Also, the idea of traveling with Illinois aerospace faculty and staff reassured me that a trusted community would always surround me.

What did you hope to gain from the experience?

I hoped to make lifelong memories and form a close-knit community with new friends while gaining insights into the global aerospace engineering industry.

 

 

Were you apprehensive about anything and what did learn about Brazil or yourself that you didn't expect?

I was nervous about the food in Brazil as I am a very picky eater. For example, I cannot bring myself to eat cheese.

I was shocked to learn that Brazil commonly serves food I eat at home such as chicken, steak, broccoli, and salads with lettuce and carrots. A chicken dish I tried tasted almost exactly like my staple chicken schnitzel recipe. Meals came with cheese on the side, rather than being served all together.

I even found myself trying and liking new foods such as miso ramen and green curry.

What is something technical that you learned from the industry visits?

I learned about the complexity of airport and flight operations from seeing behind the scenes at Congonhas Airport and the Azul Airlines headquarters.

The visits demonstrated the level of coordination required to continually and safely operate commercial aircraft flights.

How did the Global Experience course help prepare for the trip? 

The course leading up to the trip introduced me to my Illinois travel group and Brazilian project teammates, taught me basic Portuguese and about Brazilian culture, and allowed me to feel comfortable traveling in Brazil.